Cook, eat, explore

This beautiful Sunday afternoon we headed for the Hout Bay area of Cape Town. So many people had been talking about Quentin that we arrived with high expectations.

The restaurant is in the converted barn, set on one of Hout Bay’s original farms. The chef, Quentin, produces tasty dishes inspired by local produce. Quentin started his own catering business in 1996, having trained under top chefs in the hotel business.

For many years he worked for Sol Kerzner, organising his legendary new year parties and also for the rich and famous at various glamorous locations like the French Riviera, Bahamas and the Caribbean. And then he decided to settle down in Hout Bay. Lucky for us.

We sat outside under the shade of a huge tree. While we were pondering our menus little bowls of the juiciest steak appeared, served in a zingy chilly sauce.

Chilli steak to get your appetite going

The menu is comprehensive with a wide range of meaty and fishy options. Choices were not easy to make! I do love a good asparagus starter, though, so had to go for the steamed asparagus with poached quail eggs and bernaise sauce. A classic with a slight twist – I loved the use of bernaise instead of hollandaise – the quails eggs were daintily delicious and the plate had been placed under a grill to brown and heat through. A really wow dish that I could eat right now. Thinking it would make a delicious breakfast, too!

One of the best asparagus dishes I’ve ever had

The smoked duck breast was served with a sumer salad and dressed with a berry vinaigrette. Thinly sliced duck and a tasty combo of textures and colours made for a beautiful plate of food.

The colours of summer on a plate

Carpaccio is devoured in Cape Town like you can’t believe. It’s the perfect dish for this nation of carnivores – I’d like to see how its consumption racks up against that in Italy. Bet it would be a close call. Today the offering was lightly smoked ostrich carpaccio with a spiced peach and sour fig vinaigrette. An amazing dish based around three lovely local products, producing something delightfully exotic!

Bring on the carpaccio – today it’s ostrich

More local produce – the smoked snoek pate came with buckwheat blinis crispy beetroot wafers and mango atchar. I eat a a lot of snoek pate when I’m in SA – wish more restaurants served it.

Spice your snoek up with beetroot and mango atchar

Satisfaction all around the table, and it was on to mains. The local kingklip (which is a dense white fish) has been fabulous this year, freshly caught and packed with flavour. Today it was a roast loin served with citrus-infused pan juices, spinach and roasted tomato.

Beautifully fresh local kinglip to enjoy

This lamb curry is apparently one of Sol’s favourites. Served with basmati rice, sambals and Mrs Ball’s peach chutney. Tender lamb on the bone and you can up your chilli if you desire. Mrs Ball’s chutney is a staple in every South African’s home – most supermarkets in London sell it now, I’m glad to say!

A tasty plate of spicy lamb curry

And now for an unusual dish – belly of tuna. One of our table is a fanatical fisherman who told us in detail how wonderful this cut of fish is and how unusual it is to find in a restaurant, so of course it had to be ordered. It was served cold, lightly smoked and with avocado and pawpaw. A beautifully summery dish with fish that melted in the mouth.

Smoked belly of tuna, what a treat

I was in a quandary about what to have for my main. Never the most decisive when a menu’s put in front of me, today I was all at sea – and insisted that I order last to give me time to make an informed decision. When it came to my turn I still had very little clue until I suddenly (who knows why) decided I felt like springbok. Maybe it’s because we’re soon to return to the lights of London Town and I needed something truly South African in my belly? Anyway, what a great choice. It was served with a pumpkin and peppadew fritter, stewed figs and a Cape brandy sauce. I love pumpkin and peppadew (spicy little peppers) so found the fritter fabulous and the springbok was stunningly tender and packed with flavour. Another amazing dish using some of SA’s greatest ingredients.

South Africa on a plate…springbok, pumpkin, peppadew, figs and Cape brandy

The quail was braised in cream with wild mushrooms and truffle and served with spinach, asparagus and tomato.

Tasty quail sits on a bed of colourful veg

The roasted rack of lamb with a charred scrub-herb and whole grain mustard crust was seved with young beetroot, broken butter beans, caramelised pear wedges and a red wine sauce.

A tempting pile of tender local lamb chops

Well, after all that we were happy diners. Problem with having two such great courses, you know that the dessert is going to be amazing too – so you have to carry on eating (not sure this really classes as a problem now that I think about it)!

So it was time for a cinnamon and ginger milk tart panna cotta served with raspberries and Van der Hum creme fraiche. Totally melt-in-the-mouth, yummy creaminess.

I loved Quentin…the setting, the food, the service, the atmosphere. And the fact that all the dishes had a properly South African feel with local ingredients that worked together fantastically. We made a pact that we’d return same time next year for a Quentin reunion. Don’t think I’ll be able to wait that long…I’ll be back soon!

Navigation

About me

I'm a freelance writer who loves travelling, eating out and cooking. My blog was born in Covent Garden and now travels the world searching for food adventures and cooking inspiration. Follow my journey.

Follow my Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and hear about new posts by email.